Travelling by train with your bikes gives you a sense of independence, freedom and adventure. Having a base takes away the pain of always having to find a roof for the night. Our base was a beautiful gîte in the quiet rural hamlet of La Haye, south west of Blois. We chose to visit during late September since the autumnal weather is generally still hot this far south but not unbearable as it can be in the peak of summer. The Loire is quite flat so is perfect for our kind of cycling.
Sorting out the travel arrangements wasn’t easy. Eurostar to Paris was the most obvious and most direct and glamorous way of doing it. But it was too difficult to book and too expensive taking your own bikes. We seemed to be paying the price in money and inconvenience for what should be a relatively simple journey. We opted for a slightly more tortuous but less costly and interesting journey. We stayed overnight in Lille instead of Paris.
We went under the channel by eurotunnel which cost £32 return each, including bikes. Norman picked us up in Folkestone and drove us in a minibus with bikes secured on a trailer. The Eurotunnnel was deserted at this time of week and year and we virtually drove straight onto the train. For just over half an hour we were treated to Norman’s wisdom. The journey disappeared in a fug of explanations of journeys around Calais from the two stations, although when we arrived he kindly dropped us off at the Gare de Calais Ville to board the train to Lille. That is Norman in the picture, preparing to unload the bikes just round the corner from the station.
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